“Run of show software” covers a wider range than it sounds like. On one end there's a free, self-hosted, open-source tool built by and for technical AV people. On the other end there's broadcast-grade software priced for TV production budgets. Most of what gets recommended on r/VIDEOENGINEERING and r/EventProduction sits somewhere in between. Here's the honest breakdown.
| Tool | Price | Setup | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| OnTime | Free, open-source. Optional cloud $20-80/mo | Self-hosted (Docker/GitHub), or hosted cloud | Technical AV crews comfortable self-hosting |
| RundownStudio | $0 solo / $25 per event / $600/yr team | Hosted | Solo producers, occasional-event use |
| Lasso (formerly Shoflo) | $1,045-6,950/yr + add-ons | Hosted, enterprise onboarding | Broadcast TV, large-scale live production |
| StageTimer | Free (3 timers/3 connections) / $17.50-35/mo / $980 lifetime desktop | Hosted or desktop | Synced countdown timers, not a full rundown builder |
| Runsheet | Free (1 rundown, 3 screens) / Pro $19/mo unlimited | Hosted, zero setup | Building the rundown and running it live, together |
OnTime
OnTime is free, open-source, and genuinely capable: rundown building, synced timers, cue management, and operator views, with Excel/Sheets import. If you're technical and comfortable standing up a Docker container (or paying for OnTime's own hosted cloud tier, around $20-80/mo), it does most of what a paid tool does at no software cost. That's a real, honest option and it gets recommended organically on Reddit for exactly this reason.
The tradeoff is who it's for. Self-hosting is a real skill, not a checkbox, and most event producers, freelance AV techs, and non-technical planners aren't going to stand up a server the week of a show. If you or someone on your team is comfortable with Docker, OnTime is hard to beat on price. If you're not, that setup step is the whole reason a hosted alternative exists.
RundownStudio
RundownStudio sits in the commodity middle: free for solo use, $25 per event, or $600/yr for a team. It's a sensible pick for a producer running events occasionally and paying per-event, or a small team that runs enough events a year for the flat rate to pencil out.
Lasso (formerly Shoflo)
Lasso is priced and built for broadcast television and large-scale live production: $1,045/yr for a single user up to $6,950/yr for 15 users, with add-on modules (a prompter add-on and an elements manager, each $1,250/yr) on top. It's a serious, actively-marketed product, but the price and the onboarding are shaped for production companies with broadcast budgets, not a solo AV freelancer or a small event-production shop.
StageTimer
StageTimer is worth naming because it gets recommended in the same conversations, but it's answering a narrower question: synced countdown timers across devices. Its free tier covers 3 timers and 3 connections; paid tiers run $17.50-35/mo, or $980 for a lifetime desktop license. If timers are genuinely all you need, StageTimer's free tier already does that job. It doesn't build or hold the rundown itself.
Where Runsheet fits
Runsheet is a hosted, zero-setup tool for both halves of the job: build the rundown in an editable table, then run the show from it live, with synced current-item view and countdowns on every connected screen (control, crew, stage), and times that reflow when the schedule slips. No self-hosting, no Docker, no separate timer product to bolt on. Free covers 1 active rundown and 3 connected screens; Pro is $19/mo for unlimited rundowns and screens.
If you're technical and want to self-host for free, OnTime is a genuinely good answer. If you're running broadcast-scale production, Lasso is built for that budget and that scale. Runsheet is aimed at the freelancers and small event-production teams in between: people who need the rundown and the live execution to work together, hosted, without standing up their own server.
FAQ
- Is OnTime really free?
- Yes. OnTime (getontime.no) is free and open-source if you self-host it (Docker/GitHub). It also offers an optional hosted cloud tier priced around $20-80/mo if you don't want to run it yourself.
- What does Lasso cost?
- Lasso (formerly Shoflo) is priced for broadcast and large-scale production: $1,045/yr for 1 user, $3,950/yr for 5 users, $6,950/yr for 15 users, plus paid add-ons like a $1,250/yr prompter module and a $1,250/yr elements manager.
- What does RundownStudio cost?
- Free for solo use, $25 per event, or $600/yr for a team plan.
- Is StageTimer a full run of show tool?
- No. StageTimer is a synced-timer product: free for 3 timers/3 connections, $17.50-35/mo for paid tiers, or a $980 lifetime desktop license. It's built for timing, not for building the rundown itself.
- Where does Runsheet fit?
- Runsheet is hosted, zero-setup, and does both halves together: build the rundown, then run it live with synced screens. Free for 1 active rundown and 3 connected screens; Pro is $19/mo for unlimited rundowns and screens.
Build the rundown. Run the show. Every screen in sync.
Runsheet is the hosted place to build a run of show and then run it live, no setup, share links for control, crew, and stage screens. Free for 1 rundown, 3 connected screens.
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